1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to both a textile article and a method of making the textile article. The textile article is a two-sided multicolor Jacquard or Dobby woven textile with a graphic impression on at least one side thereof. In one embodiment, the front side of the textile has a dark color border and a light color area within said border. The light color area is the area receiving the graphic impression. It is sometimes advantageous to reverse the textile. Therefore, in another embodiment the front side has a light color border with a dark central area, and the dark central area will receive the graphic impression. The graphic impression may be applied by screen printing, image dyeing, digital imaging, or heat transfer (heat applied graphics). The method of making the article comprises the steps of providing a two-sided multicolor Jacquard or Dobby woven textile and then transferring the impression onto the textile, preferably in the light color central area, but the reverse side of the textile could be employed and the impression could be on the dark central area. The textile may be a towel, a bath or beach robe, a bath mat, an apron, hot-plate, mittens, and the like.
2) Prior Art
It is well known to those skilled in the art that textile terry cloth items can be printed thereon, for example, for towels such as small holiday towels for the kitchen or bath. In particular, terry cloth, conventionally made of cotton or cotton-blend fiber, is made on a dobby or cam loom and the loops on each side of the textile are uncut. Printing various designs on such a towel is well known to those skilled in the art. Other terry cloth items have embroidered designs, names, or messages thereon which is a more expensive process, but on the other hand, they have a neater and more appealing appearance.
Jacquard or Dobby weaving is a well known weaving process that can be employed for creating thick, luxurious pile textile items capable of having a velour or looped terry nap and employs two different colors in the linear band of the warp filaments when fabricating a textile article. Jacquard or Dobby weaving is expensive and the limitation of two colors in the warp filaments limits the utility for these types of textile articles. The textile industry is primarily located in cheap labor markets. Nevertheless, multicolor Jacquard or Dobby woven articles remain comparatively high in price. The high price coupled with the limitations in the number of colors that can be patterned into a Jacquard or Dobby woven textile, causes the industry to use terry cloth made on looms, and printing can be done with different colors to create an infinite number of patterns, colors, and messages, and the cost is comparatively very inexpensive, especially in large quantities. Moreover, a multicolor Jacquard or Dobby woven textile cannot be employed with two independent and distinct designs on each side of the textile article because the color on one side alternates with the color on the other side of the textile. For example, if one side of the towel has a dark border with a light color central portion, the other side of the towel has a dark central portion with a light color border.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,611 to Owenby et al. discloses a printed woven blanket, which is printed on one side only but has the appearance of having been printed on both sides. Specifically, cationic dye is applied to one side of the blanket with sufficient force that the dye penetrates through to the nap of the other side of the blanket. This reference also compares the cost of a woven textile having print thereon with an equivalent textile article woven from a Jacquard weaving. The printing is preferably accomplished by applying the dye through a roller that places downward pressure on the dye forcing the dye into the blanket yarn. The downward pressure is caused by an electromagnet that interacts with the roller. The downward force applied by the magnet is made variable by employing a variable resister so that the amount of pressure from the roller is controlled, thus the printed color intensity is controllable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,223 to Vermuelen et al. discloses a simulated Jacquard woven fabric in which the fabric is printed with especially engraved screens for each color of the design.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,624 to Wildeman et al. discloses a Jacquard woven fabric in which a printed pattern is printed on the warp yarns so that as the Jacquard weaving process proceeds, the design on the warp yarn becomes reality in the Jacquard woven textile. By using the design on the warp yarn, the operators of the Jacquard loom can make certain that the pattern meant to be created in the Jacquard woven textile will be made.
Multicolor Jacquard or Dobby weaving is expensive and because of the limitations that it imposes upon the textile article produced, namely, the fact that the process creates the reverse pattern on the opposite side of the textile from the pattern desired on the primary side, it is rarely employed in the art. Those skilled in the art have recognized that they can simulate a multicolor Jacquard or Dobby woven textile look by fully printing a color pattern on the front side of the textile, making certain to bleed the print off the edges of the textile. However, the other side of the textile remains without graphics, showing only the original color of the towel. One can employ as many colors as desired to print upon the terry cloth article, all of which is cheaper than producing even a two color Jacquard woven article. The disadvantages of the terry cloth Jacquard simulation is that the reverse side is limited to only the original color of the textile and appears less expensive in appearance.
With the expense of a multicolor Jacquard or Dobby woven textile coupled with the limitations in designing a pattern on such a textile, there is no reason one skilled in the art would ever print or place a graphic impression on a multicolor Jacquard or Dobby woven article. In fact, this is borne out by the complete lack of prior art disclosure of such a textile article.
There remains a need to produce a Jacquard or Dobby woven article in multiple colors greater than present limitations on the Jacquard or Dobby loom. Moreover, there remains a need to provide an upscale textile that is more luxurious, and can be produced in large or small quantities.